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-- Accessibility and Usability
---- setting outgoing links to open to a new window

le_gber - 7:02 pm on Feb 23, 2006 (gmt 0)


annej,

we all did it and some of us still do - I know I do ;)

I did change the way the new window opens though, I use to use

<a href="thenewsiteurl.com" target="_blank">visit the new site</a>

which isn't accessible. I have now changed that to

<a href="thenewsiteurl.com" rel="external" title="link opens in a new window" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false">visit the new site <img src="my_little_new_winwow_icon.gif" alt="" width="xx" height="xx" /></a>

which is more accessible as it offers the following

for people using a graphical browser

  • the title tooltip on mouse over which will tell them that the link opens in a new window
  • my little icon which is also an indication of the new window being opened
  • for people with javacript enabled the new window will open, for those with js disabled the page will open in the same window

    for people with screen readers:

  • the title attribute which will tell them that the link opens in a new window
  • they have js disabled so the page will open in the same window

    I know that I whould include in the anchor text 'link opens in new window' and that ideally I shouldn't even use the popup at all, but for the moment I'll keep using it that way until a better solution comes up.

    [edited by: pageoneresults at 7:05 pm (utc) on Feb. 23, 2006]
    [edit reason] Corrected Double Post [/edit]

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